The Olympics Will Be a Boon for Rio, the Mayor Says

July 22, 2016

To the Editor:

Re “An Olympic Catastrophe,” by Vanessa Barbara (Sunday Review, July 3), and “What Makes Brazilians Sick,” by Jules Boykoff (Op-Ed, nytimes.com, July 18): We would like to clarify for your readers some facts about the 2016 Rio Olympics, considered by the International Olympic Committee to be the most inclusive and expected to leave the largest legacy in the Games’ history.

For every dollar spent on arenas, five dollars was invested in legacy work — infrastructure projects such as the revitalization of a large area in downtown; the expansion of the mass transportation network; the increase of sanitation in Rio’s poorest areas; the regeneration of slums where 630,000 people live; the construction of 80,000 low-income housing units; and the creation of new leisure areas in the suburbs. The benefits are scattered around the city and reach mainly Rio’s most deprived areas.

Besides prioritizing the legacy, the project focused on saving public resources: 80 percent of the expenses of stadiums and operations are being paid by the private sector. In addition, the amount is 35 percent lower than what was forecast in the Bid Book, and $10 billion less than London’s 2012 Olympics.

The city government is responsible for 94 percent of the venues, so the state government’s weak finances — certainly not due to the Olympics — have not had any impact on the delivery of sports arenas, which are 100 percent finished.

These facts and figures show that, despite all the pessimism, the 2016 Rio Olympic Games are shaping up to be a success for everyone: athletes, tourists and mainly Cariocas (as we call Rio residents). We are proving that mega events are not necessarily a burden to the host city; on the contrary, the Olympics have been an opportunity to attract investments and improve citizens’ lives.

We welcome all those who wish to witness with their own eyes and judge for themselves.

EDUARDO PAES

Mayor

Rio de Janeiro

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A18 of the New York edition with the headline: The Olympics Will Be a Boon for Rio, the Mayor Says. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe